(30 Days of Mass Effect, 14/30) Seven Places I'd like to (Re)Visit

In this
edition of the Thirty Days of Mass Effect
series, I wanted to take a look at a burning question we all have: what
planets will we see, assuming there might be a sequel? There are myriad places
awaiting players in the future, but I think it’s especially important given the
context of the time period that a few places are visited – and in most cases,
revisited – so that we can see glimpses of how the galaxy has recovered, and
I’m willing to share my list with you, with the choices featured in no
particular order. Feel free to comment below, and avoid if you don’t like
spoilers.

Earth

This is an
obvious choice. We’ve heard a lot about the planet throughout the series, yet
have only visited Earth for a brief time in the third game… when it was under
siege by the Reapers. Not exactly the kind of tour I was expecting. Obviously,
London will probably be an important place to visit, if only to see how that
region has recovered since the end of the Reaper invasion; perhaps the places
featured in the Earth DLC, among a few others, would be apt locations. Either
way, it will be interesting to see how the Alliance has recovered since.

Feros

Another
no-brainer, in my opinion, Feros was the center of a struggling human colony
that we’d learned had been enslaved by the Thorian. With the aid of Shiala
however, and the side effects of Thorian exposure, Feros’ colony was making
greater strides than one could imagine, especially in the fight against the
Reaper’s forces. I find it would be interesting to see how they’ve progressed
ever since the end of the Reaper war, especially given the special ties they
now have through the Thorian's side effects. I'm also interested in finding out any other secrets the Prothean ruins there have for us to discover.

Palaven

Palaven was
getting its arse handed to it during most of Mass Effect 3, and we never even
had a chance to visit Garrus’ homeworld, only its moon Menae. It will be
interesting to see how a society that is already highly militarized will adjust
in the coming decades after the Reaper war, and given the amount of
devastation, how their race will rebuild. Visiting Garrus’ hometown – possibly
one of the worst affected areas during the Reaper war – would be something I’d
love to do. I wouldn’t be surprised if
we saw a few Krogan here as well, given their role in the Miracle at Palaven.

Thessia

The Asari
homeworld was a place that experienced tremendous losses during the Reaper war,
so seeing how they’ve recovered is something I consider to be essential in the
next saga, especially since the Asari are considered the most technologically
advanced. Will they finally share the Prothean technology they obtained
millennia ago with the other races, or will they continue to maintain its
secrecy – and in most cases – use it again to their own private benefit? If
Liara is featured in the sequel I’m sure she’ll be here aiding her homeworld in
some form, so a visit to this otherwise mystical planet is mandatory.

Tuchanka

I think
visiting Tuchanka is especially essential to grasping an understanding of the
state of the Galaxy, especially if choices made in Mass Effect 3 will transfer
over. If the Genophage was cured, Tuchanka could’ve become a new paradise as
the Krogan entered a cultural renaissance that forever changed how the various
tribes interact with each other. Otherwise, the planet could remain a wasteland
with its resources nearly pillaged due to the continued instability of the
Krogan clans. Either way, the immense influence that the Krogan have will
probably serve as an important litmus test for the state of the Galaxy overall.

Rannoch

In this
section, I’m assuming that the Quarians obtained peace with the Geth. To begin,
Rannoch was not only the battleground for an epic battle against the Reaper’s
indoctrinated Geth forces, but also the finale in a war centuries in the making
between the synthetics and their creators, the Quarians. In the Extended Cut,
we catch glimpses of what I can only assume to be new cities on Rannoch. Will
the Quarians finally be acclimatized to their homeworld again when we return?
How will the Geth contribute to their society? Many questions are waiting to be
answered whenever players visit this world again.

Khar’shan

This planet
is probably one of those hit worst by the Reapers, and it’s the native
homeworld of one of the most underdeveloped races in Mass Effect lore: the
Batarians. How will the Hegemony recover, and what influence will Balak play in
this, given the substantial authority he inherited during the Reaper war? I’d
also like to see how their caste system, considered to be an integral part of
Batarian culture, fares in light of the dramatic changes to society that
Batarians will undoubtedly experience. Will they finally get a Council seat,
assuming the Council even exists anymore? There’s a lot of potential with this
race that hasn’t been explored.

The Verdict

I’ve
mentioned the planets I’m most interested in visiting if they make a sequel to
the Mass Effect series. There are some others I would like to visit (Klencory
being one of them) and others I’m sure readers have that I haven’t thought of.
Feel free to offer your own in addition to these!